


Ever At Your Side

by Flegmon



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Accidental Marriage, Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Prompto Argentum, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Roadtrip, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-03-28
Packaged: 2019-03-31 17:47:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13980264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flegmon/pseuds/Flegmon
Summary: A magical accident interrupts Noctis' and Luna's wedding. Suddenly, Prompto finds himself married to his best friend.And as if that was not enough chaos yet, the accidental newlyweds also receive a mysterious divine mission from the Astrals.FIX-IT!





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's favourite Chocobo-Boy is having a bit of an awkward day. 
> 
> There will be some handwavy magic, some weird prophecies and some dramatic destinies to be fulfilled. Nothing worse than the actual game though. 
> 
> This is also a bit of a self-indulgent fix-it. If you weren't entirely happy with the fate of our boys at the end of Chapter 14, you have something to look forward to. Although there WILL be angst and drama.
> 
> Comments are loved!

Today was the day.

Prompto had been looking forward to and at the same time dreading this day for years. Noctis was finally going to get married. High up above the red tiled roofs of Altissia, Prompto was pacing up and down in his guest room at the Palazzo Altemeria. There was only half an hour left until the ceremony would start. He stepped in front of the large mirror that had been brought into his room and took a look at his new outfit, nervously fidgeting with his sleeves. Ignis had chosen a fancy dark grey suit for  Prompto, matching the ones he and Gladio would be wearing today. Pure black was reserved for the groom.

Prompto felt awkward, like a kid playing dress-up in his parents’ clothes. Ignis had tried to tame his hair, make him look “presentable” for the media that would be there during the wedding. But as soon as his friend had left the room, Prompto had messed it up again, going back to his signature “Chocobo-butt” hairstyle to keep at least something familiar about his appearance.

“Just keep calm and don’t embarrass Noct today,” he told his reflection. “No messing up, okay?” Someone knocked on his door.

“May I come in, Prompto?” Iggy asked through the heavy wood.

“Yeah, sure Iggy, come in,” Prompto replied and almost cringed at how nervous he sounded.

“Prompto, are you feeling alright? You look very pale,” Ignis inquired when he saw Prompto pacing up and down again. “Oh and your _hair_...” he added with an exasperated sigh.

“Dude, I can’t go to Noct’s wedding looking like I’m attending a funeral!At least let me keep my hair if you already dress me up like a Mini-Iggy!” Prompto threw his hands up and stalked past Ignis. “Let’s go before I get sick!”

“You are acting as if it was _your_ wedding today and not Noct’s. Would you calm down, please?”

Prompto sighted as they walked down the marble corridor towards Noct’s room. Iggy sure had nerves to criticize him for being anxious. Ignis was used to attending royal ceremonies of all kinds. _He_ was used to looking sharp and smart and perfect. And Prompto was used to looking everything _but_ perfect.

They found Noct in his room, pacing up and down just like Prompto had been two minutes earlier. Gladio was there as well, silently standing guard beside the door. Noct looked like the perfect royal groom. His grey-blue hair had been brushed out of his face and was held in place by a traditional Lucian silver circlet reserved for the most formal appearances of the prince. He wore a deep black suit, perfectly tailored to fit is slender frame, decorated with a long black half-coat hanging over his right shoulder. The silver buttons and chains on it were polished to perfection.

Prompto’s heart started beating a little too fast at seeing his best friend like this. It was really going to happen. Noct was getting hitched and there was no turning back. Prompto felt the all-too familiar sensation of dread creep up again. This was it. He had always known this day would come. For the last five years, he had tried to stomp out every last bit of the childish crush that had been burning in him ever since high school. He had always been perfectly aware that nothing would ever come of it. Even if Prompto had been a dashing Prince Charming instead of a simple commoner, Noctis would always have been out of reach. And even if Noctis had shown any interest in guys, he was the Prince of Lucis and destined to get married to Lady Lunafreya and make sure the bloodline would continue.

The marriage was part of a peace treaty with Niflheim. Nevertheless, Prompto knew that neither Lady Lunafreya not Noctis minded the arrangement. The two of them had been friends since they were kids and had kept in contact through Umbra over the last twelve years.

So Prompto took what he could get: a best friend who meant the world to him. But even that would come to an end soon. Between Noct being expected to take on more responsibility at the Palace and being a good husband to Lady Lunafreya, there would hardly be any time left for guys nights out and video game sleepovers.

Prompto swallowed hard and prayed to the Six that he would not tear up now, in front of Noct.

“Hey Prompto, loosen up. What got you so nervous? You're not the one giving up your sweet freedom today,” Noctis joked and gently patted Prompto on the shoulder.

“Uh, it’s just… ugh, there will be so many people, and you know how I feel about crowds...“ Prompto stammered an excuse.

“Yeah, but all of them will be looking at Luna and me, waiting for someone to trip on the carpet so they can snap a photo for the newspaper,” Noctis laughed. “So don’t worry. And you’re looking great, dude. I bet at least half of the girls will be swooning over you, now that the best looking man around here is off the market.”

Prompto hummed and stared up at the ceiling.

“Oh come on, don't be so shy!” Noct laughed and turned to inspect his reflection in the mirror. “How do I look?”

“Almost like a real fairy tale price. Lady Lunafreya will be the one doing the swooning today,” Gladio teased.

“It is time to go, Noct,” Ignis announced and ushered them out of the room.

Before they entered the main wing where the ceremony would be held, Prompto slapped Noct on the back.

“You got this, bro. Talk to you after the wedding.”

“Thanks Prompto. Remember to take lots of photos for the family album.”

Prompto patted the camera he carried on a leather string around his shoulder and nodded.

“Don't worry. I'll never forget this baby."

Prompto and Ignis then walked into the Palazzo Cathedral, taking their spots to the left side of the altar. As a citizen of common birth and no formal ties to the Palace, Prompto was only allowed to the front of the hall because he had been granted permission to take photos of the event. Since Gladio was Noct’s Shield, his duty was to follow Noct down the aisle during the ceremony and then take his spot on the other side of the altar, opposite Ignis and Prompto.

The whole cathedral had been decorated in flowers. A brilliant white shade for Lady Lunafreya and a deep azure for House Lucis. Warm sunlight filtered through the stained glass windows high above them, basking the whole room in a light that reminded Prompto of lazy summer vacation afternoons.

He nervously shifted from one foot to the other. The first guests started to file through the tall gates, taking their places on the decorated chairs in front of the altar. Prompto let his gaze drift over the people coming in, trying to distract himself by spotting the most ridiculous outfits or hairdos. An elderly lady with a hat that reminded him of Chocobo roadkill and a matching yellow dress won first prize. Prompto recognized her as a famous opera singer from Altissia and grimaced, trying to suppress a snort. The priest who would be holding the ceremony was busy arranging some candles on the altar and luckily did not notice. Ignis only gave him an amused look and stood there perfectly calm, his back straight as always.

Then the music started playing and Prompto quickly fumbled with his camera, not wanting to miss a shot of Noctis walking down the aisle. As customary, King Regis walked in first, flanked by two guards carrying the Lucian standard. Behind him followed Noctis, head held high, silver circlet gleaming in the sunlight. He really did look like royalty today. Prompto’s fingers were sweaty and he was almost scared he would drop his camera when he took the first photo. Gladio was last, looking even more intimidating as usual in his dark suit.

King Regis took his assigned seat at the very front of the cathedral. Noctis climbed up the three steps and shot Prompto a small, private smile before turning around towards the crowd. Prompto could tell Noct was nervous too, although he was very good at hiding it. But there is was, the slight twitch of his fingers and tension in his shoulders.

Finally, Lady Lunafreya entered the hall. She looked like an angel with her blonde wavy hair and flowing white dress. Prompto did his best to ignore the pang of jealousy that felt like someone had put a vice around his heart. Noctis would be happy, that was all that counted. He took a couple of photos of Lunafreya walking down the aisle, capturing her gentle, kind smile. When she arrived at the altar, Noctis extended his hand and she took it, climbing up the stairs to stand next to him. Prompto distracted himself by taking one photo after another, almost completely drowning out the speech of the priest.

Then it was finally time to summon the Astral who would cast their spell and bind Noctis and Lady Lunafreya for life. The priest raised a golden flask filled with Lucian magic. With a booming voice, he called forth the Glacian to give her blessings and confirm the partnership before the Gods. Small fern frost started creeping up the body of the flask and Prompto felt a chill brush the skin on his face. The flask started to emit a faint cold light and soft snowflakes floated gently around Noctis and Lady Lunafreya. The light grew brighter and Prompto raised his camera to take a shot of the couple just as they were about to be bound by Shiva’s magic. There was a tiny red speck of light on Lunafreya’s chest that seemed oddly out of place. It almost looked like the light of a- “Oh shit!” Prompto yelled and threw himself at Lunafreya just as the sound of a gunshot rang through the cathedral.

Lunafreya let out a surprised cry and stumbled to the floor, the shot missing her by an inch and cracking one of the marble tiles in front of the altar. Noctis hardly had time to utter a shocked curse before Shiva’s magic engulfed him. Prompto felt the chill creep up his spine as the white light wrapped around him as well. A second later, an otherworldly warmth started to bloom in his chest, traveling down his right arm and stinging his wrist like a hot needle. The sensation lasted only for a moment, then the magic loosened its grip on Prompto and he dropped to his knees, confused and panting.

Had he just ruined the ceremony? Oh god, Ignis would kill him. Did someone really just take a shot at Lady Lunafreya? The thoughts started racing through his mind but were interrupted just a moment later. Chaos had erupted in the cathedral. Gladio was yelling orders at the guards to go after the attacker. King Regis had hurried up the stairs holding the hand of a rather distraught looking Lady Lunafreya. Ignis was kneeling next to her as well, checking whether she was hurt. The wedding guests had raised from their seats, some looking confused and others running out of the hall in panic.

Then Noctis grabbed him by the shoulders, looking just as confused as Prompto felt, cursing under his breath. He examined Prompto’s face, looking very pale.

“Are you alright? Did you get hurt?” he inquired, helping his friend to sit up.

“I think... I’m okay…” Prompto stuttered. “I’m so sorry, Noct, I didn’t-”

“No, Prompto, it’s okay!” Noct interrupted him. “You saved Luna’s life.”

Before Prompto could answer, the priest rushed forward and grabbed Noct’s left wrist, pushing up his sleeve. The man paled and muttered a curse that was definitely not appropriate for a royal priest.

“What just happened…?” Noctis asked him confused, looking down at his wrist. Then his eyes widened. “Oh no… wait… that can’t be...”

Prompto looked down at his own wrist and furrowed his brows. On the inside of his arm, there was a silvery symbol looking vaguely like a five-pointed crown, with the middle point turning into a thin line running halfway up his forearm and ending in an elegant arrowhead. He recognized the image from his history textbooks. It was the sacred symbol of Lucian royalty, marking the kings and queens who got married before the Six.

He looked at Noctis’ left arm, still in the grip of the frantic priest and saw the same symbol etched into his friend’s skin.

Prompto saw that the priest was talking to them but he did not hear a word. The sound of his blood rushing in his ears was deafening. He was sure he was about to faint.

“Sorry Noct,” he said, feeling entirely numb. “I think... I crashed your wedding.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. 
> 
> Please let me know what you think. I love comments. Seriously, they're the best motivation to keep writing.
> 
> Also, please forgive me if anything sounds odd. English is not my native language and I'm trying my best. :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 is here! Some exposition and fluff before things really get rolling in chapter 3.  
> I would also like to note that in this story, Prompto does NOT know he is from Niflheim. He has no barcode tattoo (you might have guessed so already from the end of the last chapter).

In the end, Prompto managed not to faint after all. He was immensely proud of that. He simply staggered over to the stairs and sat down, trying to calm his breathing. It seemed like everyone in the cathedral was trying to talk to Noctis and him at once. Prompto was dimly aware of a reporter pushing a camera right in his face and demanding answers before Gladio steered the man away from the altar rather resolutely.

Meanwhile, King Regis addressed the remaining guests and asked everyone to leave the cathedral calmly and promised that the guards would make sure no dangerous persons remained in vicinity. He apologized for the interruption of the ceremony and asked for understanding that the safety of all guests and the royal family came first.

A guard returned and announced that the alleged assailant had been caught and was being held in a cell for questioning. No other suspicious persons had been found. The king thanked him and promised he would personally come to see the prisoner as soon as possible.

Luna assured Ignis that she had not been hurt in the attack and knelt down in front of the still dazed Prompto.

“Dear Prompto, I must thank you for getting me out of harm’s way. I hope you were not hurt in the attack?”

“Oh no, I’m… I’m fine, Lady Lunafreya, don’t worry about me. I’m glad nothing bad happened.”

“Nothing bad?!” The priest cried out at Prompto’s words, seemingly more distressed than anyone else in the room. “This is a disaster! The prince of Lucis just got married to a random bystander… Oh by the Six, this is truly a catastrophe!”

“Can’t we just summon Shiva to reverse her magic?” Noctis asked. “I’m sure there is a way to fix this…”

“If you wish, I can try talking to her. Maybe there is a way to undo this,” Luna agreed with him. “Your Majesty, do you mind?” she asked the king.

“Please, Lady Lunafreya, go ahead.”

They waited until the last wedding guests had left the cathedral and the tall doors had been closed to keep out prying eyes. Noctis sat down next to Prompto and gently bumped his shoulder against his friend’s.  
  
“Hey Prompto, stop worrying. We’ll get this fixed in no time.”

“Hmm yeah, I hope so,” Prompto replied and rubbed his face in embarrassment. “Don’t want to hog you and keep you from your future wife too long,” he tried to joke but it came out tense.

“Let’s see if Shiva can help us,” Luna announced and closed her eyes, summoning her Trident and whispering a prayer to the Glacian.

At first nothing happened. Prompto started to worry that he had angered the Astral too much and that she would not answer. But then the familiar chill crept up his spine once again and made him shudder slightly.

Noctis got up to stand next to Luna. Prompto followed him, standing on his left, their branded arms almost touching. The air in front of Luna started glowing faintly, just like the magic flask had earlier. The light grew brighter until Prompto had to avert his eyes. Suddenly, a soothing and gentle voice sounded through the cathedral and Prompto’s head snapped back up. There, in front of them, was the Astral Shiva. She was beautiful - although a little terrifying too - and floating in midair. It was a haunting sight. Prompto briefly wondered if he was still in bed and dreaming, since the whole day just seemed to be getting more and more surreal.

“Oracle, what do you wish?” Shiva spoke and Prompto felt uncomfortably close to freaking out. They were face to face with an actual GOD! Taking part in a ritual that called on divine magic and actually talking to said deity in person were definitely two very different things.

“We called upon you to forge the eternal bond of marriage between Noctis Lucis Caelum, the future king of Lucis and me, Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, the Oracle of Tenebrae,” Luna announced with confidence. “However, an attempt on my life was made and our friend Prompto Argentum saved me. He got caught in your magic and mistakingly the bond was forged between Noctis and him instead.”

Shiva seemed to ponder her words for a moment, before her gaze fell on Prompto.

“Gods seldom make mistakes, Oracle,” Shiva began, her eyes still on Prompto who shifted uncomfortably under her scrutiny. “Hear me, Prince of Lucis,” she continued, now addressing Noctis. “Bringer of Light, the bond has been forged. I will not undo what has been done today. To rid the star of darkness and take your rightful place, you must receive the blessings of your ancestors. Learn to wield love like a warrior wields his sword, for love is the strongest weapon of all. You may only lift the veil of night if in the darkest hour you stand side by side.”

Prompto’s heart sank.

“But, this was not supposed to happen!” Noctis protested. Shiva just smiled at him gently and bowed her head in good bye, then vanished into thin air just as quickly as she had appeared.

“Oh no, what are we going to do?!” Prompto started pacing up and down. “Without the wedding, what about the Niflheim peace treaty?” he rambled on, nervously rubbing the mark on his arm.

“Prompto, please calm down. Losing your nerve will not do anyone any good now,” Ignis commented.

“Ignis is right, Prompto,” Noct agreed with him. “We should sit down and think about Shiva’s words first. Ignis, do you have pen and paper on you? I want to write it down before I forget.”

“Already done, Noct,” Ignis smiled and held up a small notebook with a few lines of his neat handwriting.

“My son, I agree with your suggestion. Please go over the Astral’s words and see if you can make any sense of them. I will join you soon. I would like to pay a visit to the intruder first.”

“Your Majesty, if you allow me, I would like to come with you,” Luna said with a frown. “I would like to know why someone would try to harm me.”

The king nodded and motioned her to follow him. The distressed priest was all but forgotten, frantically leafing through his books. _Probably trying to find any hints about how to reverse this disaster_ , Prompto thought bitterly.

“Quick, let’s go before he complains any more,” Noctis urged them and made his way down the hall as well. “You too, husband, move your ass!” He called out to Prompto teasingly. Prompto felt his face heat up as he hurried after his three friends.

Back in Noct’s room, Prompto headed straight for the gigantic bed and flopped down on it. Face buried in the sheets, he groaned loudly. He still felt a faint warm pulse in his right forearm where the silver mark had appeared. The bed dipped slightly as Noct sat down next to him. He held Ignis’ notebook in his hands and re-read Shiva’s words with furrowed brows. Ignis and Gladio had sat down across from them, on two plush chairs at the coffee table.

“Sooo…” Gladio started and leaned back in his chair, arms crossed behind his head. “What about the reception? Are we still going to have that party or what? Can’t let all that cake go to waste…”

“Gladiooooo!” Prompto’s whine was muffled by the bed covers as he threw a pillow in the general direction of the brunette. Gladio laughed as the pillow missed him by several feet and landed straight in Ignis’ face. Ignis shot him an annoyed look but did not acknowledge the pillow attack.

“Noct, would you mind reading the words for us?” he simply asked instead.

“Bringer of Light, the bond has been forged. I will not undo what has been done today. To rid the star of darkness and take your rightful place, you must receive the blessings of your ancestors. Learn to wield love like a warrior wields his sword, for love is the strongest weapon of all. You may only lift the veil of night if in the darkest hour you stand side by side,” Noct read out loud and then cocked his head. “What do you think? I should receive the blessings of my ancestors? What does this have to do with getting married? And why is Shiva talking about a bringer of light and ridding the star of darkness? This makes no sense…” he lowered the notebook onto his crossed legs and stared at the words again.

“Well, she is also talking about taking your rightful place,” Gladio pondered. “Maybe that means your marriage with Lady Lunafreya? So, if you receive the blessings, Shiva might correct the mistake? After all, she said she would not undo what has been done _today_. Maybe she will agree to undo it after you have “received the blessings”, whatever that means..."

“Either that, or she meant that she would never undo what happened today,” Ignis threw in. “You could interpret it this way or that…”

Another muffled groan from Prompto.

Noctis sighed and looked at the rest of the message.

“She also said that I should learn to wield love like a weapon. The hell is that supposed to mean? The whole message sounds pretty ominous. As if some unknown evil was lurking around the corner and I need to banish it with love and light. Straight out of an Altissian soap opera.” Noctis tossed the notebook aside with an exasperated sigh.

“Well, the only real hint that we have is the bit about the blessings of your ancestors,” Ignis began, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I would assume that means visiting the Royal Tombs.”

“Why would Shiva send me on a road trip across the whole continent?”

“Hey, a road trip across the country with your three best buddies doesn’t sound so bad…” Prompto threw in, finally rolling onto his back and looking up at Noctis sheepishly.

“Maybe it is supposed to teach you to respect your elders and prepare you to become a responsible king?” Gladio suggested, only half joking.

Before Noct could protest, the door opened and King Regis walked into the chamber, Luna following close behind. Prompto sat up quickly, trying to straighten his wrinkled suit to no avail.

“Have you been able to find out anything, Noctis?” King Regis asked his son.

“Ignis was just suggesting that the bit about “receiving the blessings of my ancestors” could mean that I’m supposed to visit the Royal Tombs,” Noctis explained. “What do you think?”

The king thought about the suggestion for a moment and nodded slowly.

“It might be worth a try. However, that would be a rather elaborate journey. The Tombs are spread all over Lucis, some of them in very dangerous locations. But what I worry about most at the moment is the Empire,” the king sighed and stepped to one of the tall windows  that overlooked the city below the Palazzo. “Your wedding to Lady Lunafreya was a prerequisite to the peace treaty. I fear that the Emperor will not be pleased once he hears the news. He is likely being informed about the developments as we speak. We must ensure that the Empire will not take this as a direct threat.”

“Your Majesty, please forgive me,” Prompto suddenly sobbed. “I didn’t mean to cause any trouble, I swear-” his voice broke and he wiped at his face furiously, trying to hide the fact that he was crying like a little boy. _Crying in front of the King of Lucis, could this day get any more embarrassing?_

When Prompto looked up, he saw that the king had come to stand in front of him and was smiling gently.

“No, Prompto. You have nothing to apologize for. Without your intervention, Lady Lunafreya might have been killed. We will find a solution for this. I am sure my son will do his best and I will do anything I can to support you in this.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Prompto sniffed and tried to fake his best optimistic smile, giving a small bow. His back tensed slightly as he felt Noct’s arm come to rest across his shoulders and giving him a reassuring nudge. Prompto dared to look up at his friend and his heart almost skipped a beat. Noct was giving him that sweet little smile again that always seemed to say “Don’t worry Prompto, everything will be alright.”

“Rash actions will not help anyone,” the king continued, turning to speak at all of them. “I suggest you rest now and we will talk about all of this tomorrow to decide our best course of action.”

“What about the shooter?” Noctis asked his father without letting go of Prompto’s shoulder.

“He will remain in our custody and stand trial before the court of Altissia. The First Secretary will see to it herself. Since the attack happened here in the Palazzo, the attacker must be punished under the law of Accordo.”

“Your Majesty, has he mentioned any affiliations or was he wearing any symbols that would give away who he might have been working for?” Ignis asked.

“No, unfortunately, he has given up no such information yet.” The king shook his head. “Hopefully we will find out the details during the trial. Until then, we can only speculate who might have wanted to harm Lady Lunafreya. Now, I will attend matters with the Empire. I must inform them officially about the events and assure that we will do anything to rectify the situation as soon as possible.” With that, the king excused himself.

Luna stayed behind and sat down on the other side of Noctis. Prompto silently mourned the comforting loss of body heat as Noctis let go of Prompto and turned to Luna.

“Are you really okay?”

“Prompto made sure of that,” Luna smiled and took Noct’s left arm in her hands, gently turning it and examining the crown mark. Noct stared up at the ceiling and shifted awkwardly.

“This is impressive magic indeed,” she continued. “According to the legends, it will enhance your and your partner’s magic whenever you are together. Of course Prompto has no magic of his own, as far as I am aware…” she trailed off and looked at Prompto questioningly.

“Nope, no magic here at all,” Prompto replied quickly. “So I guess all of this divine magic really was wasted on me.”

“You never know how the Astral’s blessing might affect you,” Luna stated simply.

The five of them talked about Shiva’s words a while longer but came to no helpful conclusion besides the potential hint at the Royal Tombs. About an hour later, Luna excused herself as well and retreated to her own room.

After Luna had left, they started to play some card games, but none of them could really concentrate. All of them had shed their suit jackets (and kingly half-cloaks and tiaras) by now. Ignis and Gladio eventually decided to get some rest as well. They had been put into the rooms to the right and left of Noct so they were as close to him as possible. Prompto’s room was one further down, next to Ignis. Gladio promised he would bribe a maid to save some of the wedding cake for the next day and told them that guards would be stationed outside their doors all night as a security measure.

The door closed behind him with a dull thud, leaving Prompto and Noct sitting across from each other on the bed awkwardly, cards still spread between them.

“So… you’re not mad at me…?” Prompto asked quietly, fiddling with some of the playing cards.

“No.” Noct answered without hesitation. “And now stop beating yourself up about it. You’re more fun when you’re not freaking out,” he added with a smirk. Then he sat up abruptly, earning a confused look from Prompto.  
  
“Hey, can I try something?”

“Uhm… sure…?” Prompto said slowly and looked at Noct with suspicion.

“Okay, hold out your arm. The right one. Palm up.”

Prompto did as he was told, not quite sure what Noct was getting at. He watched as Noct lifted his left hand, palm facing down. He lowered his hand onto Prompto’ arm so that the crown marks on their skin were touching. Prompto gasped as the sensation of hot needles in his arm returned but he did not pull away. Noctis drew in a sharp breath and locked eyes with Prompto.

“Do you feel that?”

Prompto just nodded, focusing entirely on the strange sensation. The burn was slowly replaced by a tingling, almost as if someone was tickling his skin with a Chocobo feather. Prompto’s heartbeat quickened and his stomach twisted. He was not sure whether that was caused by the magic or simply by Noct touching him. He felt strangely… content? Happy? Safe?

“How does it feel for you?” Prompto asked.

“Weird… like pure magic?” Noct answered quietly, as if he was embarrassed to say it out loud. “It’s almost electric, a kind of… hum? It feels as if I’m supposed to tap into it, but… I can’t quite grasp it.”

Then, Noctis broke the contact and pulled his arm back. Prompto almost protested. The tingling slowly faded and he let his arm sink. He wished for nothing more than for Noct to do it again. The urge to touch was almost overwhelming and he briefly wondered whether the magic might have enhanced his usual feelings. But no, it was just him… just him being a little too desperate and a little too lonely.

“Can I sleep here tonight?” Prompto blurted out before he could stop himself. “Uh, you know, pyjama party and King’s Knight?!” he added quickly once his brain caught up with his mouth. Noctis gave him a lopsided smile.

“Sure.”

 _Prompto Argentum, what the hell do you think you’re doing?!_ Prompto’s brain screamed at him. He pointedly ignored his own thoughts and pulled the blanket out under Noct. “Move over, Your Highness!”

Noctis only grunted in response but rolled over, letting Prompto crawl under the blanket. The bed was huge, big enough for three people to sleep in there without getting in each other’s way.

“No sleeping in fancy clothes! I don’t want to deal with Ignis’ wrath tomorrow morning.” Noct called out to Prompto and got up to change into a simple t-shirt and shorts. He threw one of his spare t-shirts to the blonde.

Prompto quickly shrugged out of his own button-up shirt and suit pants and pulled Noct’s t-shirt over his head. Even now, after losing a lot of weight and getting fit, he was still more than a little self-conscious about his body. He avoided being shirtless even around his closest friends. That persistent voice of doubt was still there, always nagging at the back of his mind, telling him to hide and not let anyone see how imperfect he was. His skin was too pale, freckles everywhere. His chest and shoulders were too small, making him feel like a child, especially next to Gladio. There were faint stretch marks on his lower belly and inner thighs, serving as a constant reminder of who he used to be. But if he was good at one thing, it was drowning out his doubts with his constant chatter and bubbly optimism. Today he had cracked a little, but Prompto promised himself he would do better tomorrow.

Noct climbed in next to him and yawned loudly.

"How about we postpone King’s Knight to tomorrow?” he asked with another yawn.

“Yeah, no prob,” Prompto mumbled in response and pulled the blanket up to his chin. He had not been in the mood to play anyway and was glad Noct seemed to be just as tired as he was. Noct turned off the lamp on the bedside table and rolled onto his side. Bright moonlight shone in through the windows, illuminating the room just enough that Prompto could make out Noct’s face next to his.

“Sleep tight, Prompto.”

“Hmm, night Noct.”

Prompto closed his eyes and rubbed his forearm absentmindedly. He was exhausted but sleep did not come easily. It was only a short while before Noct’s breathing evened out and Prompto envied him for being able to sleep so quickly, seemingly not as worried about the situation as he should be. The urge to reach out and cling onto his friend did not ease up. Prompto took a deep breath, trying to think of anything else than Noct’s steel blue eyes. When sleep finally came, Prompto dreamt of snow and magic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we go! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. 
> 
> Please leave a comment to let me know what you think. They are much loved!


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, they quickly packed the most important equipment for their planned trip across Lucis. They would have to take the boat back to Galdin Quay where they had left the Regalia.

As expected, word on the cancelled ceremony and attack on Lady Lunafreya had spread quickly through Altissia. Ignis had suggested to sneak out of the Palazzo quietly and take a gondola straight to the docks. He had ordered everyone to wear their least suspicious outfits so they could make it through the city without attracting the attention of any reporters or curious citizens.

Prompto had decided on a blue t-shirt with a yellow chocobo on it, grey cargo shorts, a black cap and was wearing silver aviator sunglasses - an outfit that Ignis would usually not allow him to wear in any civilized part of Eos. He was wearing all of his leather bracelets on his right arm in an attempt to hide the silver crown mark. Thankfully, it was not very visible even in bright daylight. The camera hanging from the strap around Prompto’s neck only served to make him look even more like a tourist. Noct and Ignis also had no problems blending in. Both were wearing basic t-shirts (wine red for Ignis and dark grey for Noct), blue jeans, and matching silly caps from the Totomostro Arena. Noct also tried to hide his face behind dark shades and was wearing his usual leather glove to hide the mark on his left arm.

Making Gladio look unremarkable had been a little harder. He stood out in in every crowd thanks to his height and build alone, let alone his long hair and tattoos. But in the end, they had managed to make him look like one of the other many dads with a distinctively bad taste in clothes that roamed Altissia on their family vacation. He was sitting next to Prompto in the gondola and grumbled about how ridiculous he looked in the weird straw hat, colourful shirt and leather sandals they had borrowed from a cook at the Palazzo. Although Prompto doubted they would be back in Altissia any time soon to return them to their rightful owner.

Luna would be taking the airship back to Insomnia together with King Regis later that evening. The palace’s public relations office would issue an official press release on the attack and consequential postponement of the wedding while King Regis waited for a reply from the Emperor of Niflheim. That was what Prompto was most anxious about. Nevertheless, he was kind of excited to be able to spend some more time with his friends, even if the circumstances were less than ideal.

“I can't believe we will have to spend weeks stuck on the road together!” Gladio complained when Prompto mentioned the trip. “That car is way too small for me.”

“Come on, big guy, it will be fun! Just imagine all the food we can try whenever Iggy comes up with a new recipe!” Prompto protested.

“Yeah, and all the nights sleeping on hard ground and hiding from daemons,” Noct groaned. “Sounds real fun.”

Prompto shuddered at the thought of daemons. “Okay, maybe not _that_ … but I bet we’ll come across lots of cool stuff I can take photos of! Maybe we can even ride chocobos!” He was practically bouncing up and down in his seat then.

“This is not a vacation, Prompto,” Ignis reminded him but could not hide a smile at his friend’s excitement.

 

It was early afternoon by the time they met Cid at the docks. He would drop them off at Galdin Quay from where they'd set out to the first Royal Tomb. Ignis had already marked all the known locations in a map and planned a route for them.

“Hey there, prince. Wedding didn't go so well, I hear?” Cid greeted them. He took a look at the glove covering Noct’s arm and the wristbands on Prompto’s and raised one eyebrow.

“Guess you could put it that way,” Noct replied simply and strode down the pier where the boat was moored.

Prompto fell back a few steps, taking a couple of shots of a flock of birds circling above the water. He really did not want to have that conversation right now. Knowing Cid, he and Noct would never hear the end of this.

“Hurry up, Prompto!” Noct called to him from the deck of the sleek black and white boat at the end of the pier.

The Tiamat was a motor yacht that Cid had refurbished over the last couple of years as a little side project. She offered enough room for the five of them to live comfortably, at least for a short while. The trip to Galdin Quay would only take a day but Prompto was looking forward to the peace and quiet of the ocean.

 

When they pulled into the Galdin Quay marina the next day, the sun had already dipped behind the hills overlooking the bay. Ignis had insisted on being discreet and avoiding the tourists, so Cid dropped them off at a small fishing jetty on the beach.

“Take care, kids! Don’t let the daemons get ya!” he called out to them as they marched off through the wet sand. Prompto grimaced. It was the first time he would be out camping at night.

“We’ll be safe at the haven, right?”

“Don’t worry, the havens are all protected by magical runes. Daemons can’t come close,” Gladio reassured him. “I’ve spent more nights than I can count out here and have rarely seen a daemon come closer than a quarter mile to the campsite.”

“That’s ‘not close’ to you!?” Prompto asked incredulously.

“We’ll be fine,” Noctis chimed in. “Look, the haven is right over there.” He pointed at a flat stone formation a couple of hundred metres to their left, just off the beach. The rough surface was covered in intricate patterns of thin lines glowing a faint blue. Prompto had to admit that the spot looked pretty cool. They would have a perfect view of the ocean from up there.

They set up their tent in no time while Ignis prepared dinner. Gladio was off doing his nightly workout routine down on the beach before it got too dark. The sky had turned from pink to deep blue and was dotted with stars. It was pretty beautiful, all things considered.

“Hey Prompto, can I see the photos you took?” Noct asked as he sat down in the camping chair next to Prompto.

“Sure, here.” Prompto handed him the camera. “Took some nice shots on the boat. Got a cool one when you caught that huge fish yesterday. You’ll love it!”

“Oh yeah, nice one!” Noct laughed when he got to the photo of himself hauling a huge Rock Barramundi onto the deck of the Tiamat, almost falling over under the fish’s weight and grinning into the camera.

Prompto was glad that things were as usual between him and Noct despite their awkward magical accident. Well, things were probably only awkward for Prompto because Noct was perfectly unaware of his stupid little crush. And now he would have to keep it together 24 hours a day. Noctis was still scrolling through the photos, the typical lopsided little smile on his face that Prompto loved seeing so much.

After dinner, they decided to go to sleep early since they had a long drive ahead of them the next morning. The tent was just big enough for the four of them to sleep comfortably. Despite Ignis insisting that their trip was not a vacation, Prompto felt a little like he was on a school trip. Gladio was snoring lightly on his left and he could hear Noct’s even breathing on his right. Prompto pulled the soft sleeping bag up to his chin and stifled a yawn.

He had almost fallen asleep when suddenly, he heard a low groaning sound. It was followed by a metallic grinding, as if heavy steel plates were slowly moving against each other. Prompto froze and held his breath, straining his ears to make out where the sound was coming from. His friends kept sleeping peacefully, seemingly not bothered by the eerie noise in the distance. Prompto could swear that whatever was out there was coming closer. It must be a daemon, what else could it be? _We are safe here, the magic will protect us, we are safe here, nothing can come close,_ Prompto kept repeating in his head to calm himself down.

Not wanting to alarm his friends unnecessarily, he slipped out of the tent quietly to check the source of the noise. Just in case. The water and beach were illuminated by the moon only. Prompto squinted into the darkness, trying to make out what was out there. When he turned around to check the hills behind the tent, he sucked in a breath and clasped his hands over his mouth to stop himself from swearing loudly.

Just beyond the faint glow of the runes etched into the stone formation stood a hulking figure, at least fifteen feet tall. It was carrying a sword that was just as long and large spikes were growing from its shoulders. As if its appearance alone was not unnerving enough, black oily smoke oozed from it and seeped into the ground. It stared right at Prompto but did not move, the magic inlaid in the haven obviously keeping it at bay. A chill ran down Prompto’s spine at the sight of the daemon. He had never seen one up close, only on news shows or in textbooks. The daemon started to move then, startling Prompto. It slowly circled the haven, as if looking for a way to come closer. With each step, it groaned and creaked, black smoke trailing behind it.

Just when Prompto decided that it would be better to wake up the others to check if they could get rid of this thing, the tent rustled behind him. A sleepy looking Noct slipped out as quietly as Prompto had before and squinted at the daemon circling the haven.

“Well, that’s new,” he commented with a raised eyebrow, as if he was merely looking at a strange breed of dog.

“You sure it can’t get to us?” Prompto whispered, hoping Noctis would not hear the slight hint of panic in his voice.

“Yeah, definitely,” Noct assured him but kept his eyes on their creepy company, watching as it circled the camp. “Ever seen one of these before?”

Prompto shook his head.

“Nah… and I wasn’t really keen on changing that,” he admitted.

“Nothing we can do against it now,” Noct shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant. Prompto appreciated the effort. “We just wait for it to disappear once the sun comes up again. Come on Prompto, let’s get some sleep.”

Prompto followed Noctis back into the tent where Ignis and Gladio were still sleeping, oblivious of the spooky intruder. Back in his cozy sleeping bag, Prompto took a few deep breaths to calm down his racing heart and tried his best to ignore the low rumbling he could still hear through the thin canvas.

Next to him, Noct shifted in his own sleeping bag, turning onto his side to face his friend. He slipped his hand into Prompto’s and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

“Relax,” Noctis whispered, sounding like he was already half asleep again. Prompto nodded despite it being too dark inside the tent for Noct to see the gesture and gently squeezed back. Prompto found it very hard to fall asleep then and it had nothing to do with the daemon prowling outside.

Prompto felt like he had just fallen asleep when the sound of Noct’s ringtone startled him awake. The faint sunlight filtering through the tent canvas told him that it was at least six a.m. already and he groaned. Next to him, Noct fumbled for his phone blindly, not even bothering to open his eyes. He was even less of a morning person as Prompto was.

“Hey dad,” Noct grumbled into the phone once he finally managed to find it between the sleeping bags. There was a faint mumbling from the other end of the line. “What?!” Noctis exclaimed in disbelief and sat up quickly, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. “Are you serious?! Okay, okay, we’ll be on our way. No, don’t worry. Yeah, will do. Talk to you soon.” Noct hung up and let himself fall back onto the camping mat. Obviously whatever news the king had shared was nothing good.

“What did he say?” Gladio sat up and asked. Noct covered his eyes with one arm and sighed.

“Word from Niflheim. The Emperor took the postponed wedding as a direct threat against the peace treaty. Apparently, he didn’t believe it was an accident.”

“That son of a bitch!” Gladio exclaimed and made a face.

“He gave us until the end of the year to fix this,” Noctis explained, looking grim. “After that, the peace treaty is off the table.”

“Hey that’s still seven months… We can do it!” Prompto tried to sound confident.

“These news are not as bad as they could have been,” Ignis added. “To be honest, I am surprised the Emperor gave us that much time if he truly believes that this was done on purpose. He might be trying to keep up a facade of being the just, benevolent ruler that Eos deserves.”

“And make my father look like a dishonest schemer at the same time,” Noctis sighed.

“I guess that means we got no more time to waste, kids. Come on, get ready,” Gladio said as he shooed Prompto and Noctis out of the tent.

Prompto knew the sun had chased away the daemon by now, but he still could not help taking a quick look over his shoulder when he stepped onto the cool stone. Noctis glanced at him and shrugged.

“Told you we would be fine.”

“I guess I’ll just have to get used to it, huh?”


End file.
